Even on one of the coldest days of the year — with temperatures hovering in the high teens — a homeless man could be found living in an encampment on the banks of the Tuscarawas River.

The man, who declined to give his name, has been living near the abandoned Kmart building off and on throughout the winter. He had just returned to the encampment Wednesday, after spending a few nights in a motel when the temperatures in the area were at their most frigid. He said a man had come and taken him to the motel, paying for his room.

On Wednesday afternoon, he was sitting before a blazing fire in an easy chair under a tent. A blue tarp was stretched along the river side of the encampment to keep out the wind. “Without the tarp, you wouldn’t be able to feel the fire,” he said.

Two piles of neatly stacked firewood, covered with canvas, could be found nearby.

The man said he has been homeless since 2008 when he and his wife split up.

On nights when he stays at the encampment, he sleeps in a small tent, keeping warm with three or four sleeping bags and three or four blankets. He said he sometimes stays at the shelter in New Philadelphia operated by the Friends of the Homeless of Tuscarawas County.

People in the area have been generous, bringing in donations — mostly clothing, he said. That day, a woman had dropped off some cans of soup. Recently, they also received some pallets to burn to keep warm.

On Tuesday, volunteers fanned out across the area to get an accurate number of homeless people in Tuscarawas County, such as the men living in the encampment, as part of the annual Point-in-Time Count. The count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Michael Dotts, special projects manager for the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll counties, coordinated the count this year, the third he has been involved in. He said it will be several days before all the numbers can be compiled.

Employees and volunteers of the Friends of the Homeless conducted the count at their shelter; Exodus House, a transitional housing program in New Philadelphia; the soup kitchen at First United Methodist Church in New Philadelphia; and the “tent city” on the Tuscarawas River, where four people were living.

Employees of Personal & Family Counseling Services in New Philadelphia did a count at the local women’s shelter.

Calvin White, director of the homeless shelter, reported that his group had 11 females, 13 males and four families — with four male children and four female children — staying at the shelter; seven males and three females living near the Kmart building and other unsheltered places; and had seven females, 12 males and three families on the shelter waiting list.

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“Because it was so cold, some people will disappear to areas we’re not aware of,” White said.

He noted that of the 32 current guests at the shelter, all but three were from Tuscarawas County. The shelter can accommodate 36 people.

“Our waiting list has been pretty consistent for the two years I’ve been here,” White said. Some homeless people are finding it difficult to find affordable housing locally. He attributed that to rising rents because of an influx of workers in the oil and gas industry, though he acknowledged that his information on the subject was hearsay.

“Some of the folks looking for places are finding that rent is too high in the range they can afford,” he said.

The count doesn’t always include everyone who is homeless, such as people who sleep on the couch of a family member or friend.

“What will happen is that in rural communities, people who are truly homeless will find more sympathy,” Dotts said. “They’ll get in somebody’s basement or garage in the winter. We’ll see them living outside in the summer.”

White said his organization keeps in contact with those living along the river. “We give them supplies as needed,” he said, adding that the shelter will drop off some firewood, gloves, coats and hats in the near future.

Many area organizations and churches also are aware of the encampment and leave supplies for the homeless living in tents along the river.